1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and a method configured to generate, based on a plurality of images photographed from a plurality of different viewpoints, an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint that is located outside the plurality of different viewpoints.
2. Description of the Related Art
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-79505 discusses a method for executing virtual viewpoint image generation processing for generating an image photographed from a virtual viewpoint by using a plurality of images photographed from a plurality of viewpoints. More specifically, the method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-79505 generates a virtual viewpoint image, which is an image viewed from a point between camera photographing positions (viewpoints) by using a plurality of photographed images.
However, the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-79505 generates a virtual viewpoint image, which is an image viewed from a point between different camera photographing positions, by using a plurality of images photographed at a plurality of viewpoints but does not generate a virtual viewpoint image, which is an image viewed from a viewpoint outside the camera photographing positions, by using images photographed from two viewpoints.
Therefore, according to the conventional method discussed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2010-79505, a virtual viewpoint image, which is an image viewed from a virtual viewpoint located outside camera photographing positions and which has an expanded parallax, cannot be generated based on a two-viewpoint image, such as a binocular parallax image having an image quality as low as not to be able to achieve a sufficiently high effect of the stereoscopic view when stereoscopically viewed under a stereoscopic view-display environment because of its small parallax.